>> Parks vs. Reserves
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First of all, what is the difference between parks and reserves? There are two main differences, one will not affect you at all but the other one possibly would. National parks exclude all human activity except for visit and research, while reserves allow for a shared use, permitting cattle and human settling. As you will be able to check in situ, parks are not always devoid of human activities, mainly due to the locals' pressure.
You will perhaps be concerned about the second difference between parks and reserves. Speaking generally, national parks are managed by Kenya Wildlife Service, the governmental authority in charge of conservation. Contrariwise, national reserves are usually run by local communities, though also staffed by KWS. Therefore, all information provided by KWS only applies to national parks. If for instance KWS guarantees personal safety in all the parks, you should bear in mind that this does not necessarily apply to Masai Mara and Samburu, both of them reserves.
The visitor's behavior must be ruled always by the highest respect for nature, no matter what is the formal protection status of the area. Keep in mind that our sole presence there is an interference with environment. Parks are protected to preserve the ecosystems they contain, not for our enjoyment, so the fact that we are also allowed to enjoy them is a luxury we must appreciate as such.
The following is a set of advice and rules concerning behaviour when visiting the parks. Regulation in each individual park may vary depending on the particular features of the area.
- Never harass the animals. Do not make any noise, flash lights or make sudden movements to scare them away. For wildlife photography, silence is golden. Your vehicle serves as a blind or hide, since animals usually will not identify it with humans. As long as you remain inside the car you do not mean any danger to them, so it is unlikely that you will be attacked. In areas with a serious poaching problem, like Tsavo, you may find some slightly aggressive reactions, because in those regions some animals have learned to associate car with poacher. Never chase the animals and always give way, they have the right of way under any circumstance.
- Keep on the well-marked roads and tracks. Off-road driving is harmful for the environment because of smokes, oils and destruction of the grass layer, causing soil erosion and altering the drainage patterns. Also, do not drive through closed roads or park areas. There may be obstacles on the road, flooding, falling rock, etc., or perhaps there is a film crew shooting a wildlife documentary.
- Do not feed the animals. As you may know if you have pets at home, the fact that they accept your food does not mean it is good for them. The food you provide might produce illness. Even more, this practice alters the behaviour patterns and makes the animals become beggars, that can react aggressively when they do not get what they want. You may tell that baboons do not usually climb on top of the car, as happens in many European Safari Parks. Aggressive behaviour in the latter may be caused by the fact that they are accquainted to receive food from the visitors.
- Do not throw any litter, trash or cigarette butts. This not only increases fire risk in landscapes that in the dry season become like a huge straw loft, but also animals can eat whatever they find. For the same reason explained above, even your food discards may be harmful for the environment. Needless to say, never light fire.
- Do not disturb other visitors. They have the same right as you to enjoy nature. This applies to many behaviours. For instance, respect the right of the "first spotter". If you discover a stopped vehicle and you want to check what they are looking at, never hinder their sight nor stop within their photographic field. If there is no room for another car, wait patiently for your turn, the others will finally leave and the animals will still be there. Obviously, keep in silence. When you are peacefully watching animals with your engine off, there is nothing more annoying than another car appearing full of noisy tourists attracting the animals' attention.
- Do not speed in the parks. The speed limit is usually 40 km/h. Speeding ruins the roads' surface, increases noise and raises the risk to run over animals sitting in the road or crossing.
- For your own safety, stay in your vehicle at all times. In all the parks to be visited by car, it is forbidden to leave the vehicle except in designed places, such as picnic sites or walking trails. Some parks are closed to traffic and must be travelled on foot.
- Wild animals are dangerous. Despite their beauty and apparently inoffensive aspect, bear in mind that unless you are an expert ethologist, wild animals' reactions are unpredictable. Do not expose yourself to unnecessary risks, severe accidents have occurred due to an excess of confidence.
- It is mandatory to enter and exit the parks through the authorised gates. Otherwise you will be violating the parks regulation and driving off-road.
- Stick to the hours of traffic allowance. It is usually forbidden to drive from dusk to dawn (7 PM to 6 AM), unless you are granted a special authorisation. Overnight you are requested to stay at your lodge or camp site. Some of the parks provide evening or night drives.
- Do not take, seize or purchase any organism or parts of it, alive or dead. It is an offence and is heavily fined. Regarding commerce, you will tell that curio shops or dukas no longer sell any items manufactured with animal materials. Still, you might be approached by someone at petrol stations or markets trying to merchandise such products, and possibly the Maasai would attempt to sell ostrich eggs to the passers by. Never buy anything. You could fall into trouble or maybe not, but apart from your personal concerns, you would definitely favour poaching and hence both nature destruction and unsafety conditions in the country.
- It is not allowed to bring pets of any kind into the parks and reserves. They could attract predators and can communicate diseases to the wild animals.
- In marine parks, stick to the same behaviour rules. Do not take or harm coral, shells, starfish or any other living organisms. Same as in land parks, it is illegal and hazardous for the ecosystems. Also, do not purchase any shells or other products made from living things. This promotes looting in reefs and strands around the protected areas. Obviously, do not throw litter. Remember that sea turtles can take plastic bags for jellyfish and they will surely die if they swallow them. Do not feed the fish, some species can be dangerous and this also disrupts the traditional feeding patterns. Line and bait fishing is allowed in reserves, but not in the parks. Harpoons are forbidden in all cases.
- If you travel with small children, keep in mind some special considerations. For children, visiting Kenya is like bringing tales to life, but they usually get tired travelling by car and their feeding is often an issue. At some lodges like Treetops and The Ark, no children under 7 are allowed. At Mount Kenya Safari Club, children use a different dining room. If you travel in a group, think about the long hours inside the vehicle sharing little room with other people. Noisy and bickering children can annoy your travelmates and scare the animals away. Many travel agencies organise family safaris that are especially designed for couples travelling with children.
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